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Issues
This campaign is about real problems facing real families — and real plans to fix them. From healthcare and infrastructure to education, broadband, and jobs, Lindsay Garcia is running on a platform built to move the 5th District forward.
Healthcare
Across rural Louisiana, hospitals are closing—and communities are dying with them. When a
hospital shuts its doors, it doesn’t just mean longer drives for care. It means businesses won’t
relocate. Young families won’t move in. Emergency response times double. The community’s
future is decided not by its people but by a budget spreadsheet in Washington.
Louisiana is the only state in the Deep South that had the courage to expand Medicaid. That
decision protected more than 1.5 million Louisianians.
But proposed federal cuts of $1.1 trillion
to Medicaid threaten to erase that protection—and 33 rural hospitals in our state are already
flagged as financially vulnerable.
Lindsay Garcia will go to Washington to defend Medicaid expansion, fight for rural hospital
stabilization funding, expand telehealth infrastructure so that a patient in Ferriday has the same
access to a specialist as a patient in Baton Rouge, and create incentive programs to recruit
doctors, nurses, and mental health providers to the communities that need them most.
“Keep Our Hospitals Open. Keep Our Families Alive.”
33
hospitals at risk
46%
at negative margins
1in 3
Louisianians on Medicaid
9
hospitals facing closure in 2–3 years
60%
of Health Professional
Shortage Areas are rural
Infrastructure
You shouldn’t have to dodge potholes on the way to work. You shouldn’t have to worry about
whether the water from your tap is safe. You shouldn’t have to detour for months because a
bridge got shut down. These are the basics—and Louisiana isn’t getting them done.
The American Society of Civil Engineers gave our roads a D and our bridges a D+ in 2025.
More than 11% of Louisiana’s bridges are in poor condition—nearly double the national
average. Our state faces a $24 billion road maintenance backlog and a $9 billion+ bridge
funding gap. Most of our drinking water systems were built before 1960 and are only addressed
after something fails.
The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act sent $5.9 billion to Louisiana for roads and
bridges—but that law expires in 2026. Without renewal, progress stops and the backlog grows.
Lindsay Garcia will fight in Congress for reauthorization and expansion of infrastructure
investment, with an emphasis on rural communities that have been left behind for decades.
“Roads, Water, Bridges: The Basics Aren’t Negotiable.”
C-
Overall grade
D
for Roads
D+
24B
for Bridges
Road backlog
$9B+
Bridge gap
14th
Highest motor vehicle fatality rate
Broadband & Digital Equity
In 2026, the internet isn’t optional. It’s how students do homework. It’s how patients see doctors
through telehealth. It’s how small businesses reach customers. It’s how veterans access
benefits. And across rural Louisiana, too many families are still disconnected.
Less than 60% of Louisiana households earning under $20,000 have broadband access. In
rural southern congressional districts, that figure drops to 40–50%. The digital divide isn’t just an
inconvenience—it’s a civil rights issue, an economic development issue, and a healthcare
access issue all rolled into one.
Lindsay Garcia will fight to accelerate the deployment of BEAD program funding, mandate that
providers offer affordable low-cost tiers in underserved areas, invest in digital literacy programs
for seniors and returning citizens, and ensure that every school, library, and community center
in the 5th District has high-speed connectivity.
“Connect Every Home. Close the Digital Divide.”
71%
percentage of Seniors connected
29%
Below poverty rate
Education and Workforce
Louisiana’s students are making progress. The state moved from 46th to 42nd nationally on the
Nation’s Report Card and ranked 4th in a demographically adjusted national study. That
momentum is real—but it’s fragile.
More than 2,520 teacher positions remain unfilled statewide. Nine percent of Louisiana’s
teachers are uncertified—the 5th highest rate in the country. Sixteen percent are within their first
two years of teaching, reflecting a revolving door that destabilizes schools and shortchanges
students. Nationally, teacher salaries have fallen 6.1% in real terms over the last two decades.
Lindsay Garcia believes that every child in the 5th District deserves a qualified, supported, and
fairly compensated teacher. She will fight for federal investment in teacher recruitment, student
loan forgiveness for educators in high-need districts, robust early childhood education funding, and workforce training programs that connect community colleges with local employers to
create career pathways that keep graduates in Louisiana.
“Every Child. Every Classroom. Every Chance.”
2520+
vacancies
9%
Uncertified
6M+
students impacted by shortages nationwide]
Jobs & Economic Opportunity
People are leaving the 5th District. The population declined from 775,000 to 770,000 in a single
year. Employment dropped. And the families who stay earn a median household income that’s
$27,000 below the national average.
The 5th District’s economy depends on healthcare, retail, and education—sectors with
historically suppressed wages in rural areas. Diversifying the economy isn’t just a talking
point—it’s an existential imperative. We need clean energy manufacturing, agricultural
technology, logistics investment, and small business capital flowing into our communities.
Lindsay Garcia will champion economic opportunity zones in the most distressed parishes,
expand SBA and CDFI access to small business capital, attract federal clean energy and
manufacturing investment, and support workforce development partnerships between
community colleges and employers.
“Jobs That Stay. Wages That Work.”
50K
median income vs. $77 national average.
23.4%
Poverty rate
Join our Campaign
Get in touch so we can start working together.
